noun
- Substances that do not conduct electricity when dissolved in water or melted, because they do not form ions.
Usage: plural of nonelectrolyte; chemistry term; contrasts with electrolytes
Examples
- Sugar and alcohol are common nonelectrolytes that dissolve in water without producing ions.
- Most organic compounds are nonelectrolytes because they do not dissociate into charged particles.
- In the chemistry lab, students tested various solutions to distinguish between electrolytes and nonelectrolytes.
- Nonelectrolytes do not conduct electric current even when dissolved in polar solvents.
- Glucose is a nonelectrolyte, whereas sodium chloride is a strong electrolyte.